Ah sweet rejection, I’d forgotten how much it stings. There’s always that twinge of doubt that
makes me ponder if I should try again or just bin everything. It lasts for a
few minutes, then I go and update my spreadsheet, move files around, and poke
around to see if anything is open were it might fit. I take the time to dive into my homeless file
for a quick review. There’s potential in there and I’d hope that some editor
will look at the story and think, “That’s just what I need for my
anthology”. I can add in a list of
rewrites [2], unfinished shorts [~10], novellas [1], and novels [2] all which
beg for completion. Then there’s the paranormal mystery series rolling around
in my head that needs more face time. The bright, new, and shiny tempt me away
to dive into the project and drop the current one. I can’t do that. Then
nothing gets done, the writing languishes, and the frustration grows.
Tonight, I’ll head out to the coffee shop and write until they close.
It’s my routine on weekdays after work. I go from one job to the next, neither
of which pay all that well, but both are ones that I enjoy. Writers have an odd
life, as 75% of the ones I know do the exact same thing. We have two jobs when
really we should have just one. That’s the other source of frustration. I’m not
a Steven King or George RR Martin, but I think I’m decent enough [and some
people, not relatives, have told me I’m good] to make some living off writing. At
the moment, I’m not quitting my day job and working in the evenings to make the
other dream come true. I’ve set myself a goal to have the first draft done
before March, then work like crazy on the edits for a possible submission by June.
Six months should be enough time.
This week’s been rough in the way of losing great creative people. David
Bowie died on Sunday, Alan Rickman died today [01/14/16], and Lemmy Kilmister from
Motorhead late last month. I’m not a big metal head, but I grew up with
listening to him and Bowie in high school. Rickman was a late edition to people
I loved to watch, though my favorite role will always be in Galaxy Quest. It
spurs me on to make the most of my current situation and get those words to
paper, if just to leave a small footprint in the world that says I was here.
Let's all get out there and put our footprint on the world in whatever manner. Life's too damn short not to.
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